Handful: Surrogate mother Carole Horlock, 41, and the triplets she delivered for a Greek couple

"I've never had a problem handing the babies over," she said shortlyafter delivering the healthy triplets - her 10th, 11th and 12thsurrogate babies.

Miss Horlock, 41 - who also has two daughters of her own - added: "I don't bond with the babies in the womb.

"With my own children, the bonding came after they were born, as I nurtured and fed them.

"I've been cuddling the triplets and I've been very involved with them, but they're not my children."

Miss Horlock, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, has been almost permanently pregnant for more than a decade.

The triplets' parents are a Greek couple in their thirties. Themother, a teacher, had a hysterectomy two years ago following cancerand, although she can still produce eggs, she cannot carry a baby.

Embryos made from the father's sperm and mother's eggs were implanted into Miss Horlock's womb at a Greek fertility clinic.

Doctors urged Miss Horlock to abort one of the triplets, warningthat because of her age there was a higher risk they would be born withdisabilities, or die during the birth.

They also said that her own life could be in danger. But she refused.

She gave birth by planned Caesarean section on March 15, in Athens, when she was just over 35 weeks pregnant.

A boy, called Panagiotis, was born first weighing 5lb 12oz. Nextcame a girl called Paraskevi, who weighed 6lb 2oz followed by anothergirl, Helen, weighing 5lb 10oz. All are healthy.

Miss Horlock has a daughter Steffanie, 16, who was born in1991 during her first marriage. Three years later, she had anotherdaughter of her own Megan, 13, from another relationship.

Her first surrogacy agreement was in 1995 and since then shehas given birth to eight girls and four boys for childless couples -including a set of twins and the triplets.

The triplets are the first time that she hasn't been the biological mother, and the first time she used IVF to become pregnant.

In the previous agreements, she was artificially inseminated with the father's sperm.

Miss Horlock receives "expenses" from the couples she helps because payment is illegal.

However, Miss Horlock insists she is not motivated by money.

"To see the joy on the faces of couples who thought they'd never have children is very special," she said.

Miss Horlock will make no demands on the parents of thetriplets, beyond requesting an annual letter and photograph to let herknow how they are doing.

But her surrogacy experiences have not all been positive. Herfather barely speaks to her, distressed that she is effectively givingaway his grandchildren.

In 2004, after delivering a son, she discovered that insteadof getting pregnant with the father's sperm, she had, in fact,conceived naturally with her partner of nine years, mechanic PaulBrown, 50.

Though the couple she was acting for went ahead and took thechild, the mistake led to Miss Horlock being thrown out of theorganisation Cots (Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy) which putschildless couples in touch with surrogate mothers.

Miss Horlock, who moved to a farmhouse near Bordeaux two years ago, is planning one final pregnancy for an English couple.